


River and the Witch

by realsg1



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-04
Updated: 2006-08-04
Packaged: 2018-10-16 11:43:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10570605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realsg1/pseuds/realsg1
Summary: August 4th entry for the Fic-a-Day Ficathon (LJ); also posted on tthfanfic.org, ff.net.Please excuse any and all things that don't make sense—taking a muscle relaxer sure does wacko things to the imagination…Set post-"Chosen", post-"Serenity". If you haven't seen these, don't read this one.





	

River and the Witch

 

"Willow!"

River's call reverberated throughout the ship once more, catching Mal's ear. The captain looked up from the book he was reading toward the red-headed girl sitting across the kitchen table from him.

"Shouldn't you oughta go see what she wants before she starts getting…you know, loud?" Mal asked sarcastically, resettling himself in his chair.

Willow smiled and shook her head. "I know what she wants. She'll find me when wants to."

Mal shook his head. "Sounds like she wants to, from that shrill tone in her voice."

"She knows where I am. She knows where everyone is without even thinking, Mal," Willow said wryly. "River is psychic, and extra-sensitive psychic at that. She probably knows where every person in the 'verse is at any one time."

"Well, that thought is a touch unsettling, Willow." Mal winced as Willow's name echoed through the ship, much louder this time. He looked toward the door just as the teenager spilled through it, a bevy of small flying objects following her.

"WILLOW!" River cried. "I can't get them to stop following me! I was trying to make some friends down in the engine room, but now they won't leave me alone!"

Mal watched as his ship's pilot ran in circles around the table with a cloud of bolts flying through the air behind her. "That's an interesting development, I must say."

Willow shook her head. "River, have you been sneaking into my books again? The ones with the spells in them, the ones I told you not to meddle with because you're too strong to be able to control them yet?" The witch waved her hand and the bolts fell to the floor.

River stopped running abruptly and turned her large eyes on Willow. "I might have."

Willow stood up and went to stand beside the teenager. "I know you want friends, sweetie, but bolts aren't friends—they're tools. Kaylee needs those, not you."

River hung her head. "Okay."

Willow hugged her friend quickly, then floated the bolts up off the floor and sent them back through the door toward the engine room. "Let's go find you something else to play with, okay? Maybe we can float Jayne's weights around the cargo bay again, just for practice with control."

River's eyes lit up. "Can we float them around with Jayne attached? That'll be way more fun."

Willow giggled and led the way. "We'll see."

"You'd think a witch from another dimension would know better than to make friends with a crazy girl," Mal murmured, watching them go. He tilted his head, considering his remark. "Then again, maybe not."


End file.
